Achieving and Sustaining Institutional Excellence for the First Year of College

Foreword xiii

Preface xxi

Acknowledgments xxv

About the Authors xxvii

1 On Being Named an Institution of Excellence in the First College Year: The Process and the Places 1

2 Research Methods 19

Part One: Case Studies of Two-Year Institutions 33

3 The Community College of Denver: A Second Family for the First-Year Student 35
Marc Cutright, Randy L. Swing

4 LaGuardia Community College: A Window on the World 59
Betsy O. Barefoot, Michael J. Siegel

Part Two: Case Studies of Four-Year Institutions with Fewer Than 2,000 Students 85

5 The First Year at Eckerd College: Responsible Innovation 87
Stephen W. Schwartz, Michael J. Siegel

6 Kalamazoo College: No Stone Left Unturned 113
Stephen W. Schwartz, Randy L. Swing

Part Three: Case Studies of Four-Year Institutions with 2,000 to 5,000 Students 143

7 Drury University: Balancing Intellectual Rigor with Intrusive Personal Support in the First Year 145
Charles C. Schroeder, Randy L. Swing

8 Elon University: Transforming Education Through a Community of Inquiry and Engagement 166
Libby V. Morris, Randy L. Swing

9 West Point and the Plebe-Year Experience: The Long Gray Line 191
Michael J. Siegel, John N. Gardner

Part Four: Case Studies of Four-Year Institutions with 5,000 to 10,000 Students 217

10 Lehman College of the City University of New York: Excellence in the Bronx 219
John N. Gardner, Betsy O. Barefoot

11 The First Year at Texas A&M University– Corpus Christi: Starting with a Clean Slate 243
Michael J. Siegel, Marc Cutright

Part Five: Case Studies of Four-Year Institutions with 10,000 to 20,000 Students 271

12 Appalachian State University: High Standards for the First Year in North Carolina’s High Country 273
John N. Gardner, Betsy O. Barefoot

13 The Story of Ball State University: “Everything Students Need” 299
Randy L. Swing, Marc Cutright

Part Six: Case Studies of Four-Year Institutions with More Than 20,000 Students 323

14 Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis: Success and the City 325
Marc Cutright, Michael J. Siegel

15 University of South Carolina: Creator and Standard-Bearer for the First-Year Experience 349
Libby V. Morris, Marc Cutright

Part Seven: Conclusion 377

16 Findings and Recommendations 379

Epilogue: Foundations of Excellence in the First College Year 397

Appendix A: All Participants in the Institutions of Excellence Study (N = 130) 403

Appendix B: Initial Letter of Invitation to Participate in the Institutions of Excellence Project 409

Appendix C: Semifinalists 415

Appendix D: Letter to Semifinalists 419

Appendix E: Announcement Letter to Thirteen Institutions of Excellence 423

Appendix F: Research Subject Information and Consent Form 427

References 431

Index 433